Favorite subwoofer.
mantis
Posts: 17,194
As stated what is your favorite subwoofer?
So now I'm into testing and trying out subwoofers as it's been to long since I played around with stand alone subs in my own home. I own many which mostly older models. I got some good ones like M&K, Definitive , Velodyne, Paradigm to name a few laying around but I may decide to sell all of them to first clean out the madness of gear I have and to apply those funds to lets say a JL Audio sub or maybe even a SVS. All the rave over the years with SVS seems to be pretty rock solid and believe it or not it's been many years since I have run across one.
I'm work with JL subwoofers mostly and I gotta say I'm very impressed. The more I work with them the more I'd like to get one. The E line is I think the best value line as they perform close to the upper models but cost 1/2 or less. I'm not totally locked in on any price point, as price doesn't always hold much of my buying decisions. I'd rather save for what I want then settle for something I can afford.
So really I would like opinions on SVS. Built quality, sound quality , musically speaking are they transparent? Again sorry for my lack of experience with them and I know alot of you own them. I'm just looking for honest opinions on how really good they are or are they very good for the money? I mean I can grab one for like $999 new and it's supposed be to basically reference quality. Most $999 subwoofers retail are barely good, some are but most kinda suck in that price range.
So now I'm into testing and trying out subwoofers as it's been to long since I played around with stand alone subs in my own home. I own many which mostly older models. I got some good ones like M&K, Definitive , Velodyne, Paradigm to name a few laying around but I may decide to sell all of them to first clean out the madness of gear I have and to apply those funds to lets say a JL Audio sub or maybe even a SVS. All the rave over the years with SVS seems to be pretty rock solid and believe it or not it's been many years since I have run across one.
I'm work with JL subwoofers mostly and I gotta say I'm very impressed. The more I work with them the more I'd like to get one. The E line is I think the best value line as they perform close to the upper models but cost 1/2 or less. I'm not totally locked in on any price point, as price doesn't always hold much of my buying decisions. I'd rather save for what I want then settle for something I can afford.
So really I would like opinions on SVS. Built quality, sound quality , musically speaking are they transparent? Again sorry for my lack of experience with them and I know alot of you own them. I'm just looking for honest opinions on how really good they are or are they very good for the money? I mean I can grab one for like $999 new and it's supposed be to basically reference quality. Most $999 subwoofers retail are barely good, some are but most kinda suck in that price range.
Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
Comments
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Dan, my fav subwoofer would be DIY based, so its not up your alley. I totally understand wanting a easy integration, but I've found that there is a lot more bang for you buck in DIY if you can put in the time, or outsource the stuff yourself to be done.
I've run a 4cf sealed box with a single Dayton Ultimax 18" driver and it was SPECTACULAR. Total investment was around 600 including the pro amp..... which could have driven two, so for your 1k I could have 2 18" passive sealed subs with tons of power......
Anyway wont get you off track other than to say, given your skillset, I think you might find more fun in DIY, especially if you can just buy one of the flatpack kits from Parts Express they have, or DIY your own ported box.... lots of proven designs with cutsheets out there to find....
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
VelodynePolitical Correctness'.........defined
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That sounds like a lot of fun. I like building my own cables so venturing into a DIY sub might be really fun. I might even go further and build a Sub bass system that vents into the room through a Vent in the floor and hang the subwoofer from the floor beams. That might even make for a killer project.EndersShadow wrote: »Dan, my fav subwoofer would be DIY based, so its not up your alley. I totally understand wanting a easy integration, but I've found that there is a lot more bang for you buck in DIY if you can put in the time, or outsource the stuff yourself to be done.
I've run a 4cf sealed box with a single Dayton Ultimax 18" driver and it was SPECTACULAR. Total investment was around 600 including the pro amp..... which could have driven two, so for your 1k I could have 2 18" passive sealed subs with tons of power......
Anyway wont get you off track other than to say, given your skillset, I think you might find more fun in DIY, especially if you can just buy one of the flatpack kits from Parts Express they have, or DIY your own ported box.... lots of proven designs with cutsheets out there to find....
Thanks for the reply it's a very interesting comment.
Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
My favorite is my current as I feel for $2k it’s a steal. The SVS SB16 Ultra. One beast of a sub. Would have to triple the investment to see more performance in my opinion. Its ablilty to pressurize an open floor plan is uncanny.
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I like that you like the SB16 but what have you used to compare it's performance to what is also available? Many seem to really love SVS but I just don't have good experiences with them. Granted it's been a very long time since I have setup or listened to one but really want to.joecoulson wrote: »My favorite is my current as I feel for $2k it’s a steal. The SVS SB16 Ultra. One beast of a sub. Would have to triple the investment to see more performance in my opinion. Its ablilty to pressurize an open floor plan is uncanny.
Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
Fair statement as I have only heard the other competitors in hifi rooms and not my own home. Velodyne, Martin Logan, Def Tech, and Sunfire. None of them came close in those environments. I have not heard HSU nor REL but I did hear JL. I just couldn’t stomach $4k
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@mantis
If that’s where you going, look at Fi Audio. They make a sub BUILT to do just that.
Cost is basically driver(s) + plywood (or scrap MDF), + amp. Don’t need tons of amp power either and you can get responses down into the low single digits...
@VR3 is using some off those FI subs in his setup and loves em."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
Unless you are strictly looking at HT use, I would not consider a sub without servo control. It is a game-changer, especially for music. Velodyne and Rythmik are both doing it right..."Conservative Libertarians love the country, progressive leftists love the government." - Andrew Wilkow
“Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free.”
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